Hi Basil,You're right. I'm a cyclist, I mentioned that a few times already, and I ride with a Cateye 400 up front and two LED lights on the back, one of which is fitted with an accelerometer that makes it flash 'harder' when I'm braking. I keep all three on at all times, even during the hours of daylight. Ditto for helmet wearing. In all honesty, I didn't do that in other countries - the Netherlands, Belgium, or Denmark - but here in London the state of affairs is such that if I had the way of bringing the all-seeing eye of Sauron on my backpack... I'd do it. I know some don't, and I can only think that they're particularly keen on doing themselves out of the gene pool.Still, on the other hand, even if I'm clad in hi-vis gear, carry around enough light to support a Daft Punk concert... it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference. Just yesterday on Wellesley road I had one guy turn left into Oxford road north with is Volvo SUV just a few metres before me. Had to brake hard to avoid him and almost hit the back of the damn thing, and it's a good thing I was doing 12mph at the time. When confronted he said that the "Highway code allows him to turn in front of cyclists". Then, a couple of blocks down (by the Baptist church) a Mercedes came from the north and pulled into the main road without stopping. About 2 bike lengths away from me. It's worth noting that in both cases there was no one behind me, so waiting a second wouldn't have been a problem. And in the first case the guy almost mowed me down to then join a queue of stationary cars; in the second, the lady driving the Merc parked a couple of blocks down the road, only to open the door without checking her mirrors. The above is a daily occurrence and sometimes I do wonder why I bother with lights and so on.
Francis Sheehan ● 1419d